The Spin On Asian-American Hip-Hop

In 1985, Nes and then-rising hip-hop artist Sir-Mix-A-Lot started NastyMix Records, which helped launch Mix-A-Lot’s national career and bring Seattle’s underground hip-hop movement above ground. “It’s hard to believe I was there from day one,” Nes told the Seattle Times. “It seems just like yesterday.” The number of local Asian Americans involved in hip-hop has increased steadily since. “Whether you are Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc., we all have stuck together and looked out for each other. There is a lot of hip-hop unity in the Seattle area with Asians,” he said.